Report of the Weizmann Institute of Science for 1954
Rehovoth, Israel: The Weizmann Institute of Science 1955. First Edition. [4], 97 pages. 8vo. White printed wrappers. Minor soiling overall and a razor blade cut to the front cover. Near Fine. Wraps. [23888]
What caught our eye in this report is on pages 32-35 where a Dr. Dale Pollack assumed his office as head of the Department of Electronics one of whose main goals was helping Israel in the development of the electronic industry. The major project in the new department is the creation of the "Electronic Computer" which (with help from experts from abroad) is to "reproduce at the Weizmann Institute the high speed electronic digital computer developed at the Institute for Advanced Study by the group under Professor J. von Neumann." The brief article discusses who is working on what, the order of work (partly impacted by the "instability of Israel's powr line and the difficulty of ...construction ...of an electrostatic high speed memory." They were also exploring the theoretical properties of ferrites' magnetic properties. Another brief view into the early perception of the value of a computer and some of the practical problems involved with their construction.
Price: $40.00